Kevin Costner's Comeback Now Includes A Taken Knockoff Called Midnight Delivery

Kevin Costner, an Oscar winner and at one point one of the biggest stars in the world, is in the middle of a slow but mightily impressive comeback, which until today has mostly involved him playing supporting roles to younger, fresher leading men. Guillermo del Toro, of all people, is going to change that. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Costner is in talks to star in Midnight Delivery, a thriller based on Universal that del Toro is producing; the Pacific Rim director also co-wrote the script with Neil Cross, who created BBC's Luther.

Costner would play a father who, in an effort to rescue his daughter from Colombian drug traffickers, agrees to carry a package of cocaine on a flight to London-- and, yes, the flight takes off at midnight. That brief plot synopsis sounds like Taken with a bit of Snitch, but you know how there are certain actors everyone says they would pay to watch reading the phone book? Kevin Costner is one of those actors, especially if it involves him showing some parental pride and anguish. That moment in Man of Steel where he tells young Clark "you are my son" ? Punch in the gut. Actually, let's just relive that so we can remember just how much you want Kevin Costner to be your dad who is willing to deal drugs to save your sorry ass.

Midnight Delivery is aiming to start production in the fall, but del Toro won't be directing-- the production has yet to hire a director. THR says, though, that del Toro plans to be on hand to oversee the production, since his work on Crimson Peak isn't scheduled to start until January. No word on which director might take on the project, but del Toro has a strong track record for shepherding newcomers, from The Orphanage's Juan Antonio Bayona to Mama's Andy Muschietti. If there's a director who's made a promising short that you saw recently, maybe send the guy's resume to del Toro's office, just in case.

As for Costner, his days as Pa Kent are probably over, regardless of the status of Man of Steel 2, but you can see him later this year in Jack Ryan with Chris Pine, and in Ivan Reitman's comedy Draft Day. If you want him to sit you down and tell you why he's proud of you for growing up into a good man, that'll probably cost extra.